Thicker Than Blood
by EmptySurface
Summary: "We're four." Sasuke eventually found the need to point out. Naruto grimaced. "I... noticed." And hadn't that been an unpleasant surprise? "Why? I thought we'd be at least ten." Sasuke frowned, making him look reminiscent of his future self. "Kura-chan said that we'd 'probably' end up at that age." He grimaced again. "I guess that it really wasn't as predictable as we had hoped."
1. Chapter 1

**Thicker Than Blood**

**Chapter 1**

The two four years old boys stood in the empty, silent training ground. Facing each other, they were staring at the other's face, as if trying to see through to their adversary's very soul.

One blond, with remarkable blue eyes and wearing threadbare, old clothes. The other, with black hair and dark, onyx eyes, wearing simple yet very fine quality clothes. Both steady gazes seemed to speak of wisdom beyond their years.

Eventually, the blond took a deep breath. "What's the name of the mask?" His serene tone of voice sounded odd and out of place in a voice so young.

"Tobi." The other answered, voice equally serious.

The blond blinked suddenly moist eyes and then launched himself at his friend.

"Sasuke." He breathed, squinting his eyes shut, hugging the boy as if he was the only thing grounding him to reality. Sasuke, not one to normally consent to such close physical contact, returned the hug just as desperately. He wasn't alone. Neither of them were, anymore.

"Naruto." Sasuke mumbled, blinking back tears. "We're back." His voice was so faint it was barely audible.

"Yeah." Naruto sniffled. "You have family again." He stated, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his worn shirt. "How're you holding up?" He slumped to the ground tiredly, effectively pulling Sasuke with him. Not that Sasuke complained. No, for once, he was eternally grateful for the close proximity to another human being.

"I'm fine." He grunted, tying not to flinch as Naruto levelled him with a knowing look that didn't belong anywhere near his young face. "How 'bout Kura-chan?"

"Asleep." Naruto answered absently, scanning their immediate area with an air of practiced ease. "He told me he'll be asleep for a few years, at least, so we're on our own."

"At least there's the two of us." Sasuke sighed. He couldn't deny that the news were disheartening, but they had known what might happen before they had ventured on this crazy mission.

They sat in silence for quite some time, just enjoying each other's company and the sound of the wind moving peacefully through the trees.

"We're four." Sasuke eventually found the need to point out.

Naruto grimaced. "I... noticed." And hadn't _that_ been an unpleasant surprise?

"Why? I thought we'd be at least ten." Sasuke frowned, making him look reminiscent of his future self.

"Kura-chan said that we'd _probably_ end up at that age." He grimaced again. "I guess it really wasn't as predictable as we had hoped."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted. "How're you holding up?" He glanced concernedly at his friend.

Naruto's eyes took on a haunted look that threatened to send Sasuke into a rage. "... I'll be fine." He spoke softly. "I have you this time."

Sasuke said nothing, but once more swore to himself never to abandon Naruto again. Let the old Snake come and try to lure him away this time! Sasuke couldn't quite suppress a shudder.

"What is it?" Naruto eyed him intently, instantly picking up on the slightly altered body language.

"Just thought of Snake face." Sasuke muttered.

Naruto's clear blue eyes momentarily darkened until they looked almost grey. "We'll tear him apart." It was a promise. Sasuke nodded, not feeling the need to say anything.

Naruto didn't know how long they sat like that, side by side, in the middle of their old training field. It could have been an hour or three, but it made little difference.

"Your family will miss you." Naruto eventually spoke up.

Sasuke snorted. "Let them worry. I don't care."

"What about Itachi?" Naruto asked. He knew it was a sensitive subject, but it had to be brought up sooner or later and he had never been one to beat around the bush.

Sasuke tensed. "... I want to save him."

"Of course." Naruto readily agreed with a nod. "Konoha's greatest hero." He whispered into the evening air.

"The brother of a ruthless murderer." Sasuke muttered darkly. Naruto could easily hear the agonizing pain, guilt and scorn behind those words.

"Not anymore." His voice was firm. "For all the world, you're nothing more than the Uchiha clan head's second son."

"No more 'the last Uchiha'." Sasuke breathed. "It feels nice." He admitted. "Not as heavy."

Naruto just nodded.

"What about you, Naruto?" Sasuke turned to gauge Naruto's reaction. "Where will you go tonight?"

"..." Naruto wasn't sure what to say. He could always go to the orphanage, but wasn't overly enthusiastic. If things stayed true to the original timeline, he'd get his own apartment in roughly a year.

"Come with me, then." Sasuke said, pushing himself to his feet, dusting off his dark shorts.

Naruto gave him a wide-eyed, disbelieving stare. "Are you insane?" He blurted out before he could stop himself.

"The topic has been up for debate." Sasuke offered a lopsided half-smirk.

"Well, your family won't allow it. I'm the Kyuubi no Youko, remember?" His voice was laced with bitterness.

Sasuke let out a small growl. "How _dare_ these people-"

"Sasuke." Naruto cut him off before he could say something even more incriminating. Sasuke twitched, but made a visible effort to calm himself.

"They have no right." He stated instead of the string of obscenities he had planned, his tone clipped. "They are disregarding everything your father wanted, everything he wished for." He spat out. Naruto sighed heavily and stood up next to his friend.

"And there's not much we can do to change that, at the moment." He concluded tiredly, glancing down at his tiny body. "We're barely more than toddlers." He stated, clearly dismayed.

"We can always begin earlier this time around." Sasuke suggested slowly.

"What about Sakura?"

"...we'll find her later?"

Naruto gave it some serious thought. "I don't even know if I'll be allowed early admittance to the Academy." He muttered eventually.

"They have not yet changed the rules, if I remember correctly. And the Sandaime likes you." Sasuke's voice was only slightly strained as he spoke of the old man. He had to remind himself of the fact that it wasn't really he who had ordered the massacre of an entire _clan_; civilians, women and children included. The man he really wanted to kill was Danzou. Another impossible objective of theirs. At least at the moment.

"Jiji sees my father, and his guilt, when he looks at me." Naruto stared up at the quickly darkening sky.

"That's not true." Sasuke stared at him. "From what you've told me, he really cares about you." He would never have thought there would come a day when _Sasuke_ comforted _Naruto_. But then again, he had never thought himself to be in the body of a four year old again, either. "As for me, I think my father will be thrilled to prove he has sired another genius." Sasuke continued with contempt. It had, ultimately, been his father's fault Itachi had been pushed into the life he'd had.

"Come, I'll walk you home." Naruto took hold of Sasuke's arm and began to lead him along towards Konoha proper, and eventually, the Uchiha district.

. o . O . o .


	2. Chapter 2

**Thicker Than Blood**

**Chapter 2**

Sasuke could easily see the cold glares, hear the muttered insults and feel the muted animosity in the air. Naruto, however, wasn't visibly affected. He was long since used to this, sadly enough.

Those who didn't send the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki cold, dispassionately looks, simply ignored him. Treating him like he wasn't there at all, which was somehow _worse_. Sasuke had to clamp down on his growing temper; it wouldn't do for a four year old with no training what-so-ever to leak out killing intent. As they drew near the Uchiha compound, Naruto slowed down.

"I don't think I should go any further." He reluctantly admitted.

"Alright." Sasuke scowled. "See you tomorrow?" It wasn't really a question; they had much to discuss and plans to change. It went unsaid, but neither of them really wanted to leave the other alone.

Naruto nodded. "Good night, Sasuke." He offered a small smile.

"Night." Sasuke gave a quick nod before running ahead. He could already hear the scolding he would get when he came 'home'. He mentally scoffed; he hadn't considered that house his home in a very long time. Not since he was seven, and it had turned into a memory and constant reminder of his family's slaughter and his consequent torture. Happy memories to return to, that, Sasuke thought grimly. His home was with Naruto now.

His thoughts were interrupted by a shrill voice as he opened the front door.

"Sasuke!" His mother rushed towards him, sweeping him into her arms. Sasuke had to stop himself from wincing at both the loud voice and the close contact. "Where have you been?" Mikoto's relief was quickly turning into anger as she looked him over. "Do you have any idea how late it is? How worried I've been?" She demanded. "Your father is out searching for you as we speak!" She dragged him into the kitchen. Sasuke said nothing; he figured it was safer to just wait this out until his mother had worked passed all her stress.

"Itachi!" She called into the house. "He's home!" A moment later, Itachi rushed into the kitchen, eyes instantly zeroing in on his younger brother. Sasuke was startled to see the worry etched there. How had he ever doubted his brother's love for him? The shame and guilt gnawed on him, but he resolutely pushed it aside, trying not to see the blood covered corpse he had reduced his older brother to whenever he looked at him.

"Hi, nii-san." Sasuke mentally cringed at how pathetic he sounded.

"Otouto." Itachi let out a small breath, relieved that his precious brother had been found. "Where were you?"

Mikoto paused what she was doing to hear his answer; she too was curious about what Sasuke had deemed important enough to sneak out of the house for.

"I had to see a friend." Sasuke said hesitantly. It was the truth, but he didn't know how much he was comfortable with revealing.

Itachi blinked. "A friend? And this friend asked you to come out to meet him this late at night? Alone?" He shot a worried glance at their mother. Mikoto's face was marred with a slight frown at the thought.

"No." Sasuke scowled. He made it sound... wrong. "We agreed to it." He crossed his arms in front of his chest, a small pout on his face. It really was undignified to be shoved back into a child's body; he could hardly remember the last time he had been acting this childish.

"Sasuke. It's not safe for a young boy such as yourself to be out running around the village this time of night." Mikoto told him sternly. "And who is this friend of yours? I've never heard you mention him before."

Sasuke mumbled something incomprehensible, mind working furiously.

Mikoto scowled as she looked at him. "What was that?"

"I don't want to tell you." Sasuke spoke up, refusing to meet his mother's gaze. After another few minutes of a highly one-sided staring contest, Mikoto gave up with a sigh and turned to Itachi.

"Could you please run to the gates and tell the shinobi on duty there to let Fugaku know, Itachi?"

"Of course, Mother." Itachi sent Sasuke one last look before hurrying to the door. Sasuke pouted a moment longer before his mother ushered him to the table.

"We will talk about this further when your father comes back." She stated ominously. Then her serious expression softened. "I'm sure you're hungry. I prepared a small meal for you, Sasuke-chan." And she quickly placed a few dished on the table in front of him.

Sasuke said nothing as he eyed the food. He was hungry, but he couldn't think about anything other than Naruto, who was all alone. With a resigned sigh, he admitted to himself that there was nothing he could do about that right now, and that he was better off worrying about himself.

. o . O . o .

Naruto watched Sasuke run off for a moment and then turned around, shoved his hands into his pockets and trudged towards the orphanage. He ignored everyone around him and avoided the civilians in general. They were all too happy to pretend he didn't exist, so he guessed it all worked out for the best. If anyone even noticed that he behaved a little out of character, no one cared enough to actually react on it. When he reached the right building, Naruto glared up at it. He took a deep, fortifying breath, and then entered as quietly as he could through the small window he had left open when he left to find Sasuke.

He was hungry, but made his way to the cramped, separate bedroom he had been appointed. It was, after all, too dangerous to keep the Demon brat together with the other children. He felt like rolling his eyes. And besides, he could sneak into the kitchen to steal a meal more easily like this, so he dried not to dwell on it.

Naruto flopped down on the worn mattress, burying his face in the pillow. He needed to think. Jiji would be the only person he had to be truly worried about noticing a difference from his 'normal' self, at this time. And how was he supposed to convince the old man that he should enrol Naruto into the Academy early? After a long time lost in thought, Naruto gave up and guessed he'd just have to ask. Depending on the old man's reaction, he'd work from there. Who knew, he might actually agree right off the bat.

Naruto snorted. Not likely, but still a possibility.

He raised his head and listened intently for a moment. The entire building was quiet now. During the day, the orphanage was filled with the sound of childish voices, running footsteps and the sound of playing. None of that could be heard now, letting Naruto know that everyone was asleep, or at least safely tucked in their beds. He pushed himself up and slunk out of his room on silent feet. He was grateful he at least still possessed the knowledge of how to move silently, even if his young body wasn't used to it. Without a sound he made his way to the large kitchen and pilfered a quick, easy meal for himself, before hastily returning to his room. It wouldn't do to be caught out of bed.

No matter how much he might not like it, his young body was tired and needed to sleep.

And travelling back in time was draining.

. o . O . o .

"This is driving me insane." Sasuke gritted out as he slumped down next to Naruto, who was sitting with his back against a large tree in a rarely used training ground.

Said boy simply grunted his agreement, staring intently down at his shoes as he pulled out strands of grass with one hand.

Sasuke eyed him a moment. "The Sandaime still hasn't agreed?"

Naruto shook his head. "He thinks I'm too young." And wasn't that ironic? The one person in the village that cared for him was getting in his way. He shot his friend a look. "How about you?"

Sasuke snorted. "Are you kidding? Father looked like he might actually be pleased." He rolled his eyes.

Two weeks had passed since they had met at training ground seven after their impromptu time-skip. Things had been... turbulent. Sasuke grimaced. "Uh, Ruto." He spoke up reluctantly.

"Hm?" Naruto glanced at him.

"Itachi wants to meet you."

"Really?" Naruto looked skeptical, which made Sasuke frown.

"Yes. He wants to meet my friend, but I haven't told any of them who you are."

"Ah. That explains it."

"Will you stop it?" Sasuke snapped. It pained him to see Naruto like this. "Do I have to start calling you Dobe, again?"

"You might, Sasuke." Naruto sighed, rubbing a small hands over his face. He looked too old and weary for any four year old at that moment. "Being back in this time is wearing on me." He admitted with a sardonic smile.

"Hn. How're you sleeping?" Sasuke asked mutedly. He himself had quite a few problems with nightmares; it was difficult seeing Itachi almost every day. He could only imagine what it was like for Naruto.

"Hardly at all." Naruto muttered. He took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then exhaled it in a gush. "So have you tried to train anything yet?"

Sasuke decided not to mention the abrupt change of topic. "Yeah, it's depressing. My muscle memory is gone, my aim severely lacking and my stamina shot." He sighed. "The only thing we brought back with us is our knowledge. My chakra control is abysmal, if not entirely nonexistent."

"Yes, I've come to the same conclusion." Naruto nodded, agreeing with Sasuke's assessment. "But I think that would've been the same no matter what age we had come back to." He continued briskly. "These bodied have, after all, not learned how to mould chakra yet."

"The Academy will be a drag." Sasuke summarized it all. He ignored the way that made him sound like Shikamaru.

"At least I won't be the dead last this time." Naruto gave a slightly feral grin.

"No, you won't." A steely glint lit in Sasuke's dark eyes. "If they sabotage you this time, they'll have to do the same to me." He smiled grimly. "I guess being the son to the clan head is good for something."

"So when will you introduce me to Itachi?" Naruto decided not to comment on what his friend had said, but felt truly grateful. He wouldn't have been able to do this alone; it would have broken him.

"The sooner, the better. How about tomorrow?" Sasuke asked with a sigh.

"Sure." Naruto shrugged, not really caring one way or another. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

Sasuke hesitated a moment before deciding. "Let's meet here, ok?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded. He agreed that it would be a bad idea to bring him to the Uchiha compound; he couldn't see that going over smoothly. They stayed quiet a few minutes longer. "So, want to try and unlock out chakra coils?" He asked in a conversational tone.

"I thought you'd never ask." Sasuke smirked. The two of them settled and got to work. Things wouldn't be easy, but it hopefully wouldn't be quite as difficult as the first time around.

. o . O . o .

"It's this way." Sasuke led Itachi towards the desolate training ground Sasuke and Naruto had adopted as their own. "He's waiting for us."

If Itachi found it strange that his little brother was taking him to such an isolated place, he didn't mention it. Sasuke was feeling oddly excited about introducing his brother to his best friend, despite the fact that Naruto had already met Itachi several times. Not in this time-line, of course, but still. When they finally stepped into the small clearing, Sasuke dashed towards a specific tree, ahead of Itachi.

"Ruto!" He called out, despite knowing that Naruto had most likely already been aware of their approach. He still had to act his age, and four year olds were supposed to be like this, weren't they? Not to mention, since coming back here Sasuke had had trouble controlling his emotions as effectively as he had in the future. It could be quite frustrating.

"I'm here, Sasuke!" Naruto called back from up in the tree with a grin. He sat on one of the lowest branches, feet dangling over the drop to the ground.

"Come down, I brought my nii-san." Sasuke sent Naruto a small smirk, certain that Itachi couldn't see it.

"Oh." Naruto promptly dropped from the branch to land slightly behind Sasuke. Sasuke, on the other hand, turned to face Itachi, who was watching it all with a small, amused smile. "Hi." Naruto didn't entirely have to force the timid tone. In over two weeks, he had spoken to no one other than the Hokage and Sasuke. Not to mention, the last time he had seen Itachi, the man had been dead and resurrected using a forbidden jutsu to fight for a madman.

"Hello. Ruto, was it?" Itachi greeted politely.

"Nii-san. His real name is Naruto, I just call him Ruto for short." Sasuke could admit that he was very good at playing the innocent four year old boy when he applied himself. Not that he really bothered, most of the time.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto nodded warily. He had never been even near Itachi in this time, and absently wondered what his reaction might be.

Itachi blinked down on the wary boy, studying the whisker marks and his blond hair. He was well aware of the fact that this was the Kyuubi container, and suddenly, Sasuke's reluctance to tell their parents his friend's name didn't seem so strange anymore.

"Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun." Itachi could see the boy was still rather tense, and slowly sat down to make himself less threatening.

"Sasuke said you're a Chuunin." Naruto said as Sasuke pulled him down to sit next to him, facing Itachi.

"Yes." Itachi nodded. "I became one not long ago."

"And nii-san is just ten!" Sasuke felt oddly proud of this fact. The first time around, he hadn't really understood what it meant, since ten had seemed like a very big number when he was four. "I'm going to grow up to be just like him." He told Naruto with a smile. Naruto answered it with a smile of his own. It had become something of an internal joke, or a kind of promise.

"So are you going to begin at the Academy together with Sasuke?" Itachi asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. He could see that these two were very close friends, something that was a little odd considering the fact that he hadn't heard Sasuke mention Naruto even once before that night two weeks ago.

"I want to." Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest in a sudden pout. "Jiji still doesn't want to let me." He admitted sullenly.

"Jiji?" Itachi had thought the Uzumaki child had been an orphan, shunned by the entirety of the village.

"That's what he calls the Hokage." Sasuke revealed with a giggle. And wasn't that undignified? Since when did he _giggle_?

Itachi slowly blinked. "I see."

Naruto sighed. "He thinks I'm too young!" He complained. He didn't have to pretend to be frustrated; it was beginning to truly grate on his nerves.

"You're the same age as Sasuke, aren't you, Naruto-kun?" Itachi inquired carefully.

"Yeah, and he's allowed to!" Naruto sent Sasuke a mock glare, which his friend responded to by sticking out his tongue. It was somewhat liberating to be able to act so childishly again, Naruto thought.

"Have you told the Hokage that you want to begin the Academy together with your friend? A friend who's the same age as you?"

Naruto blinked. He hadn't done that, to be honest. On some level, he guessed he wanted to keep his and Sasuke's friendship hidden for as long as possible. "I haven't... Does that make a difference?"

"I think it would." Itachi assured him. "It might make him reconsider."

"Really?" Naruto beamed at Itachi, who simply blinked back at him. "Thank you, Itachi-san!"

"You don't have to be so polite." Itachi said, lips twitching into a small smile, a mere shadow of the sunny grin on Naruto's face.

Naruto blinked wide-eyed. "Sasuke." He hissed in a loud whisper. "Your brother is really nice."

"I know." Sasuke whispered back, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes and snicker. "Nii-san. Can you teach us something about being a ninja?"

Itachi suddenly found himself on the receiving end of two large pairs of pleading eyes.

. o . O . o .

"Jiji!" Naruto burst into the Hokage's office, quickly hiding behind the old man's desk to get away from his angry secretary.

"Hello, Naruto-chan. How are you today?" Hiruzen chuckled and waved the irate woman back to her desk.

"Fine." Naruto said as he peeked over the desk to check that the door was closed. It was mind-blowing to think that he had to stand on his toes to manage it. Once he knew the coast was clear, he climbed up into the Sandaime's lap. "What about you, Jiji?" Naruto asked as he tried to discreetly read the papers that lay spread over the old man's desk.

"Oh, same as always." Hiruzen smiled. "So why are you here today, Naruto?"

"I want to become a ninja!" Naruto glared up at the old man's face with a petulant pout.

"I know that. And you will get a chance to become a ninja." Hiruzen assured him calmly. "When you're older."

"But then I won't get to go to the Academy with my friend!" Naruto whined.

Hiruzen stilled. "You've made friend, Naruto?"

"I have!" Naruto grinned, almost tasting his victory already.

"That's wonderful." He gave the boy a heartfelt grin. "Why haven't you told me about this?"

Naruto froze. Shit; he hadn't thought of a good answer for that. "...Most people don't want me talking to them." He said mutedly, picking at the hem of his shirt. "But my friend is really important to me, Jiji!"

"Of course; All friends are important." Hiruzen inclined his head. "So your friend is going to begin the Academy? How old is he? She?"

"He's the same age as me!" Naruto glared up at the old man, whose eyes widened a fraction.

"He's four?"

"Yes! And his parents let's him go." Naruto pushed out his bottom lip.

Hiruzen stared down into the wide, blue eyes, trying to resist. He had always wanted to try and give Naruto a normal childhood. That had obviously been made impossible after someone had blabbed about the Kyuubi; the news had spread like fire through the village, and everyone had known the truth within hours. Maybe it would be for the best to let Naruto enrol in the Academy? It's not like the instructors would let him graduate before he was ready... he hoped. He slowly let out a resigned sigh.

"Your friend, does he have a name?" Hiruzen finally asked, watching with some amusement as Naruto's eyes instantly cleared and brightened.

"Yeah! His name is Sasuke." Naruto told him with a grin. "Uchiha Sasuke."

"An Uchiha..." Hiruzen muttered. That was unexpected. "Does Sasuke's parents know you're friends?"

Naruto gave him a mystified look. "Don't think so." He shrugged. "But I met his brother! Itachi. He's really nice." Naruto smiled. "He's a Chuunin! Sasuke told me." Naruto told the old man excitedly. "And he's only ten."

"Yes, I've met Itachi-kun many times." Hiruzen smiled distractedly. If Itachi was Sasuke's brother, then that meant that Sasuke was Fugaku's son. "Naruto." His voice was serious now. "I want you to understand that even _if_ I let you begin your education earlier than is the norm, that does not mean you will graduate together with Sasuke-kun." He looked the four year old sitting in his lap seriously in the eyes. "Do you still want to do this?"

"I know that, Jiji. And yes." Naruto nodded firmly. "I'll work really hard so that I can be on a team with Sasuke!" He grinned again.

Hiruzen sighed. He really did not want to explain how they picked out the children for the Genin teams right now. Naruto looked so happy, and he supposed he'd have a few years before that, at least.

"Alright." He relented with a sigh. "I'll let you enrol together with your friend."

"YES!" Naruto shouted, climbing to his feet to throw his arms around the old man's neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" Naruto didn't think he had smiled this wide in _years_! He actually found that he had tears in his eyes. If Hiruzen noticed, he didn't show it.

Hiruzen smiled, seeing how happy Naruto was. It made him believe he had done the right thing. He knew how difficult life was for the young boy and if he could hold on to this friend, it might be a little less lonely.

"I'll buy all the things you will need for classes." He told the boy; Naruto was too young to buy it all himself. And the shop owners might not be... objective.

"Will I still stay at the orphanage?" Naruto asked, suddenly serious again.

"You're only four, Naruto." Hiruzen sighed. "You can't take care of yourself." It was really sad when a child as young as Naruto would rather live alone, than together with other children. He knew Naruto's situation was far from ideal, but he'd rather wait a while longer before he got the boy an apartment.

Naruto said nothing, but settled down into the Hokage's lap again, leaning against his chest. He was perfectly happy to sit there for a while. He felt safe and content, something he hadn't felt in a rather long time. After a few minutes of silent companionship, Hiruzen picked up his brush and continued to work on his eternal paperwork. Naruto felt the sound of the brush moving over paper slowly soothing him, lulling him to sleep.

Hiruzen chuckled when he heard the deep, even breaths from the child on his lap.

. o . O . o .


	3. Chapter 3

**I'd like to clarify that this is NOT yaoi. I've had several people ask, and it is NOT. :)**

**Thicker Than Blood**

**Chapter 3**

"What the hell took you so long?" Sasuke demanded, scowling. Naruto rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, giving his friend an apologetic look.

"Sorry. I fell asleep." He smiled sheepishly.

"You fell asleep?" Sasuke echoed dully.

"Yeah..."

Sasuke closed his eyes for a second, praying for patience, before he snapped them open and pretended Naruto hadn't said anything.

"So did he agree?"

"Yes. Itachi was right; mentioning you made all the difference." Naruto grinned with obvious relief.

"Finally." Sasuke breathed, leaning back against the tree trunk. One obstacle in their plans had been cleared. Now they just had to get promoted to Genin as quickly as possible; they could do nothing before that, since they'd be viewed as civilians. "So how did the Sandaime take the fact that you're friends with an Uchiha?" He felt a small smirk pull on his lips.

Naruto grinned back. "I think he was shocked." He snickered. "But at least he was happy for me." He shrugged.

"And then you fell asleep?" Sasuke smirked outright now.

"Yeah... In his lap."

Sasuke snorted.

"It's not my fault!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly. "It's this body!" He frowned. "I've barely slept these past few weeks, and I just felt safe with Jiji." He muttered mutedly under his breath.

Sasuke's smile died on his lips. "Nightmares?" He asked seriously.

Naruto grimaced but nodded. "I just feel really vulnerable in this body." He looked off to the side, not really seeing the trees anymore. "And no matter what we do, Sasuke, everyone's gone."

"We'll save them." Came Sasuke's tense reply. It didn't seem like Naruto had heard him, though.

"Maybe it's for the best that we're starting this young. That way, we won't have to watch them every day and be reminded of what we've lost."

Sasuke studied his friend worriedly. He hadn't been as close to the Rookie Nine and team Gai as Naruto; hadn't known them for more than a few short months -he didn't count their time in the Academy- before he had defected. And then he had returned in the middle of a war, missing almost four years of their growths, just to see them die. Brutally. He didn't know what to say, so he wrapped his short, pudgy arms around Naruto's shoulders and gave him a hug.

"We might never have the same relationships with them that we had. But we could always get to know them again." Sasuke spoke softly. "Heck, we might even get Kakashi as our sensei again."

"But it wouldn't be the same." Naruto persisted. "It wouldn't be with Sakura, and we wouldn't be team 7. And Kakashi is really young now, isn't he?" He asked, looking earnestly at Sasuke with his big, blue eyes. It was somewhat ironic; a four year old calling an eighteen year old 'really young'. But Sasuke knew what he meant. "I mean, isn't he part of ANBU right now?" Naruto frowned; he was not happy with that thought.

"I don't know." Sasuke admitted. "We can't really do anything about a lot of things until we're older." He sighed. And didn't that just suck? That was one of the biggest drawbacks of being this tiny. "That's why we have to advance in the ranks as quickly as possible." He continued firmly. He was fully confident they could pull this off.

"I know." Naruto breathed. They had to worry about Itachi, too. And do something about the entire Massacre disaster. No matter what happened, the next few years would be interesting.

. o . O . o .

A year passed before they knew it.

Being introduced to a class of older kids had been surprisingly terrifying. Even Sasuke had admitted so, later, when he and Naruto had retreated to their training field once the day was over. Not that it had stopped them, though.

Naruto and Sasuke had worked desperately to regain a fraction of the strength they had possessed before they had come back. It wasn't easy doing your best in the Academy when every other teacher was trying to sabotage you, but Naruto still put in every effort. Sasuke's presence helped, but not with everything. Especially not since Naruto _hated_ written tests and was easily bored. It did help that he knew more than most Chuunin about life as a shinobi, and had travelled for more than two years with Jiraya. But that didn't stop the teachers from 'accidentally' losing his test papers, of just failing them no matter what he wrote.

It was better in the practical portion of the classes. Naruto was always sparring and training with Sasuke, so the Chuunin instructors couldn't intentionally neglect him without doing the same to Sasuke. And that would immediately be noticed by Sasuke's family, which would raise uncomfortable questions. So Naruto ignored the cold eyes, the hidden barbs, and simply dove into his training with everything he had. Days were made up of remarkably similar routines; get up, eat breakfast, train, go to the Academy, train some more with Sasuke, eat again, and then sleep. The two of them pushed their bodies as far as they dared, careful not to catch anyone's attention more than necessary.

The two of them had passed the graduation test yesterday, and were now sitting in the classroom, waiting for the teams to be announced. Naruto tried to remain calm, but felt jittery and was slowly working himself into a panic. A years worth of frantic effort boiling down into one moment, and he felt close to hysterical. He and Sasuke _had_ to be on the same team! They would have to change all their plans if they weren't. Not to mention Sasuke would throw a hissy-fit worthy of a king.

They couldn't do this separate.

Fighting against Pein had been nothing compared to this; at least then he had been able to do something about it. Skipping a few years and being introduced to a class of children four to five years older than you was nothing compared to this, either. And _that_ had been uncomfortable; being two almost-five year olds in a room full of hostile and jealous nine and ten year olds. Naruto suppressed a shudder at the memory.

Sasuke's only outward sign of nervousness was that he maintained a steady death grip on Naruto's arm as they waited. He couldn't do this if he wasn't there to protect Naruto. He wouldn't be able to stand being on a team with two obnoxious Genin that barely knew the sharp end of a kunai from the blunt one. Genin who didn't know anything about war and death and suffering.

For once, everyone stilled and quieted immediately when their teacher entered the room; some idiot called Keiji that reminded Naruto vaguely of Mizuki. In other words; he was a right bastard.

"Well, then." The man scanned them all briefly before turning his gaze to the clipboard in his hands. Naruto barely paid attention when he launched into a speech about the importance of their future lives as Genin, their duty, and the role they played for the village. Naruto knew all this already, and there wasn't much the shinobi life could spring on him that he wasn't already familiar with by now.

Naruto felt Sasuke's grip tighten further when he began calling up the teams, effectively cutting off the blood supply to his hand entirely. He didn't say anything, though, glad for the distraction.

"Team 4, Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke took a deep breath, while Naruto stopped breathing altogether. "Kita Yui, and... Uzumaki Naruto." His mouth twisted into a thin line as he read Naruto's name, but Naruto couldn't care less. Both he and Sasuke slumped back in relief. The Hokage must have wanted them together! If it was for their supposed protection, he didn't know or care, but they'd be together! That was what was important.

Their third teammate abruptly stood up, slamming her hands against her desk. "What!?" She demanded angrily. "I'm with the two babies?" She glared at their teacher, who simply met her gaze evenly.

It was obvious he didn't give a damn.

"Yes." Keiji answered blandly, and then called up the rest of the teams. When he was done, he looked them over one final time. "You will now wait for your Jounin sensei to come and pick you up." He told them and left.

Sasuke gave Naruto's arm one last squeeze before letting it go. He turned to study their third teammate with cold and calculating eyes. He couldn't really say that he knew much about her; Naruto and him hadn't really put forth any effort to socialize with the children in their class. She was mediocre at best, and didn't stand out in class at all. Her hair was dark brown and reached down to her shoulder blades, her eyes were light hazel, and she wore her new hitai-ate wrapped around her waist, as if to use it to point out how thin she was. She was currently glaring coldly at Sasuke and Naruto, as if it was their fault they were stuck on the same team.

"Just one more obstacle to overcome today." Naruto muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Sasuke to hear. He gave a distracted nod in response. Their hopes, however, were soon crushed when a man neither of them had ever seen before slammed the door open and scanned the children's expectant faces. He had brown hair that was mostly covered by a blue bandana with his hitai-ate on the front. His eyes were dark brown and he wore the standard Jounin uniform. All in all, he was rather plain and forgettable.

"Team 4?" He called out in a disinterested voice. "Come with me."

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance and then rose without a word, following the Jounin, not bothering to check if the girl, Yui, came with them.

Naruto was surprised when, after they had been led to a training field not too far from the Academy, their Jounin had introduced himself and told them about his 'test'. Naruto was far from impressed when he heard that the man would do nothing more than spar against them to gauge their skill level and pass them based on that. Were Jounin teachers usually this lax? Was Kakashi simply the exception? He didn't know.

"Alright. You're up first, Uchiha."

"Alright, Hideo-sensei." Sasuke got to his feet and trudged over to the man, taking his stance. When the man gave a short nod, Sasuke charged.

His small body didn't pose much of a challenge for the large Jounin, but Naruto could tell Sasuke wasn't even giving it close to his best shot. Evidently, Sasuke was not impressed by this man.

"That's enough. You, girlie, you're next."

"Yes, Hideo-sensei!" Yui practically jumped to her feet and bounced over to take her stance.

"Well?" Naruto asked quietly when Sasuke sat down next to him again.

"He's an idiot." Sasuke scoffed. "Didn't even realize I was holding back." He muttered, scowling as he watched the uneven spar played out before them. "He doesn't like you." He shot a quick look at Naruto.

"I know." Naruto could recognize those eyes anywhere. Especially when they were directed at him.

"You, your turn." Hideo said when he was done with Yui. Naruto felt an eyebrow twitch; he didn't even get an 'Uzumaki', or even 'boy'? How rude. In return, he simply walked over and slipped into his familiar taijutsu stance, waiting for the man to signal the beginning of the spar.

Such a signal never came.

Unless you'd call a kick aimed at your chest a fair warning? Sasuke had to stop himself from throwing every kunai he owned at the man. Thank Kami Naruto was quick and possessed battle honed instincts. If not, he would have received a brutal beating disguised as a sparring match between teacher and student. As it was, he simply received a number of bruises, a split lip and a fractured rib.

Sasuke was seething when the man eventually deemed their 'match' to be over.

"Alright. I'll take you on. You pass." Hideo watched Naruto disinterestedly as he picked himself up and walked over to Sasuke. Yui was the only one to actually express happiness about passing. "Meet here at seven o'clock tomorrow morning for training." Hideo said and then shunshined away. Yui didn't waste any time before she left, not even saying a word of good bye before she rushed off to share the news with her friends.

Sasuke growled as he helped Naruto up and led him to their usual spot. It took longer than normal to get there, but he wouldn't risk anyone coming close right now. He was furious. When they had reached their tree, Sasuke gently pushed Naruto down on the grass.

"How bad is it?" He asked grimly, looking Naruto over.

Naruto slowly began to take off his shirt and winced at the motion. "Not sure." He muttered. In the end, Sasuke had to help him off with the mesh shirt most shinobi wear underneath their clothes, and swore when he saw the patchwork of blooming bruises.

"Will Kura-chan help with this?" He asked, his voice sharper than he had intended.

"I think so. He's still in a deep sleep, but a little of his chakra is always in my system." He shrugged, and immediately regretted the motion as it sent another stab of pain through his ribcage.

"We're better off in the Academy for another year than with a Jounin like that." Sasuke ground out.

"I'll manage. It's lucky for me that I'm much better than anyone thinks; I can deflect most of the hits."

"Hn. He's, what, fifteen years older than us? Minimum. No matter how skilled you are, he is still a Jounin, and much stronger than you." Sasuke scowled darkly. It was just the way of the world that a five year old's body had certain limitations.

Naruto deflected his gaze. "It's just a year left, Sasuke."

Sasuke froze. He didn't need to ask what he referred to, as it was what was on both their minds most of the time now; Itachi had been forced to kill their clan roughly a year from now in their time. "So? We've been working on that ever since we got here." He growled. "And I think Itachi might suspect us, so he takes everything I say much more seriously than is normal."

"_What?_" Naruto demanded, voice suddenly sharp and carrying a certain weight. "Why haven't you told me?"

"It's not like it changes anything." Sasuke answered, a little more composed now. He hadn't really meant to reveal that. "You didn't need to know."

"Care to say that again?" Naruto's voice was dangerously low and Sasuke swallowed nervously. Fuck.

"What I meant was; Itachi is scarily perceptive. I think he would have noticed no matter what we had done. Why worry you about that when it was already too late?" Sasuke was careful to keep his voice even and neutral.

Naruto eyed him intently another heartbeat before slumping back with a huff. "Don't hide things from me, Sasuke."

"...I won't. I promise."

"So what have you told Itachi?" Naruto asked tiredly, one hand prodding his bruised ribs gingerly, wincing as he found a sore spot.

"Nothing much. To keep an eye on Shisui, stay away from Danzou; nothing too incriminating."

Naruto glared at him, incredulous. "You've talked to him about _Danzou_? Are you insane?"

"Maybe." Sasuke deflected the question. "Not really. I just dropped a few hints." He grumbled.

Naruto was about to snap at him again when an approaching chakra signature made them both tense and shut up. Speak of the devil and he shall come.

"Sasuke? Ruto?" A familiar voice called out softly. "Are you here?"

"Nii-san." Sasuke walked out into the clearing proper to greet his brother. "You're back!" He ran up to him to give him a quick hug. "How did the mission go?"

"Everything went just fine." Itachi's eyes lingered on the hitai-ate that was resting on Sasuke's forehead. "I take it you graduated, then. Congratulations." His smile was just a tad bit sad. "Where's Ruto-chan?"

He must have seen the way Sasuke's jaw clenched, because a small frown wrinkled the skin between Itachi's brows.

"He's over here." Sasuke turned on the spot and marched back to Naruto, who was trying -and failing- to pull on his shirt before Itachi caught sight of him.

"What happened?" Itachi asked softly. Naruto gave up struggling with his shirt and crossed his arms sullenly in front of his chest. This sucked.

"We sparred with our new Jounin-sensei." Sasuke answered for him. Itachi's frown deepened.

"That is wrong." He murmured, as if to himself. "Who is your sensei?"

"Tanaka Hideo."

Itachi blinked. He hadn't worked together with that particular Jounin before, especially since he had been recruited to ANBU, but he hadn't heard anything bad about him either.

"And did Tanaka-san spar with anyone else, in addition to Naruto?"

"Yeah. He sparred with all three of us." Sasuke scowled. "Nii-san, do you have any medicinal cream I can put on Ruto's bruises?" He asked, struck by the sudden thought. Itachi absently nodded and dug through one of the pouches on his person. He quickly handed the small jar to Sasuke who set to work immediately, spreading it over the worst of Naruto's bruises.

Naruto had to admit it was a relief. After he was done, Sasuke helped him on with the mesh shirt again, followed by the normal shirt. Naruto wore dark trousers that were taped to his shins, a black and dark orange shirt that somewhat reminded him of the clothes Jiraya had bought him before their return to Konoha, while Sasuke had opted for clothes reminiscent of the clothes he had worn at this age, if only a shade darker. They had both agreed that it would be a bad idea to stand out more than necessary; both of them felt vulnerable, being as young as they now were.

Itachi said nothing to comment further on their new sensei's rough treatment of Naruto. He was fairly certain both Naruto and Sasuke knew about the Kyuubi, but felt it would be a mistake to bring it up. So he said nothing and hoped the man would come around eventually, all the same vowing to keep a close eye on his little brother's friend. The boy had grown on him this last year. Naruto was virtually a little ray of sunshine, most of the time, and had had a positive influence on Sasuke.

"Would you two like to come with me to get something to eat? As a congratulation to you both for graduating and becoming Genin." Itachi asked them, determined to try and take their minds off things.

Naruto immediately brightened. "You're the best, Itachi-nii!" He grinned. Sasuke just smiled and gave a small nod.

. o . O . o .


End file.
